Dual axis oven door structure



Jan. 30, 1962 Filed May 27, 1959 K. B. KEELING, SR

DUAL AXIS OVEN DOOR STRUCTURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR KERMlT a. KEEL-\NG,SR

H l S ATTORNEY Jan. 30, 1962 K. B. KEELING, SR ,508

DUAL AXIS OVEN DOOR STRUCTURE Filed May 27, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 H l S ATTORNEY KERM \T a. KEELIN 6,52.

Jan. 30, 1962 K. B. KEELING, sR 3, 8, 08

DUAL AXIS OVENY DOOR STRUCTURE Filed May 2'7, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 H S ATTORNEY nited States This invention relates to doors for range ovens, and more particularly to an oven door structure so arranged that the door may be pivoted to open position about either a horizontal or a vertical axis.

One of the problems relating to range ovens frequently encountered by housewives involves the difiiculty of cleaning the interior of the oven, and in particular the difficulty of reaching the rear portion thereof when the oven door is an open horizontally extending position. When in this position, the location of the door makes it awkward to reach all surfaces which require cleaning, and this is especially true with respect to the larger oven doors currently featured by a number of range manufacturers.

The principle object of the present invention is to provide an improved dual axis oven door which may be opened in the usual manner, i.e., by pivoting it about a horizontal axis along its bottom edge, and which may also be pivoted to open position about a vertical hinge axis along one side of the door when easy access to the oven interior is desired.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims appended to and forming a part of this specification.

The present invention is an improvement over the prior invention disclosed and claimed in application Serial No. 816,255, filed concurrently herewith, by George R. Sherman and assigned to the assignee of the present application. Therefore I do not claim as my invention anything disclosed in the aforesaid Sherman application, which is to be regarded as prior art with respect to this present application.

Briefly stated, in accordance with one aspect of my invention there is provided an oven door structure in atent eluding a pair of hinges connecting the bottom edge of V the door to the oven body, means for releasably securing the door to one of the hinges and means associated with the other hinge providing pivotal movement of the door about a vertical axis as well as a horizontal axis, a rod element mounted on the door for limited horizontal movement into engagement with a bracket on the side edge of the door, a pivot element secured to the range body and positioned so as to be engageable with the rod element and the bracket to form a pivotal connection, and a handle carried by the door for releasing the door from one of the hinges and also moving the rod element into pivotal connection with the pivot element.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a range embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevation view of the range shown in FIG. 1 with the door in closed position, some of the parts being broken away to show details of construction.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary View similar to FIG. 2, in which certain of the parts are shown in different positions.

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FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional View taken along the line 7-7 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is similar to FIG. 7 but shows the parts in a different position.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawing the range shown therein includes a range body It enclosing an oven 2 having a front opening, an oven door 3 secured by hinges (to be described) to the range body and adapted to close the front opening of oven 2, a handle 4 on the upper edge of the door, and hinge levers 5 and 6 associated with the door so as to be movable therewith about a horizontal hinge axis. In accordance with conventional practice, springs are preferably connected to range body 1 and to hinge levers 5 and 6 so as to apply a force to door 3 biasing the door towards its closed position. It is desirable that certain parts of the present invention be enclosed in the interior of door 3, and hence the door includes an outer panel 3a and an inner panel 3b secured together in any suitable manner, by means of screw fasteners, for example.

During normal operation, door 3 is connected to the range by means of a pair of hinges, generally designated by the numerals 7 and 8, connecting the bottom edge of the door to range body 1 adjacent the bottom edge of the front opening of oven 2. Hinge 7 includes a fixed hinge member 9 secured to oven body 2 (by welding, for example), a movable hinge member It formed as an integral part of hinge lever 5, and a hinge pin 11 connecting members 9 and It for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis adjacent the bottom edge of the door. Similarly, hinge 3 includes a fixed hinge member 12, a movable hinge member 13 secured to door 3 and a hinge pin 14- connecting members 12 and 13 for pivotal movement about the axis of hinge 11. Thus hinges 7 and 8 support door 3 on the range body so that it may be moved to a horizontal position as shown in full lines in FIG. 1. In this position the door forms a convenient platform for cooking utensils being placed in or taken out of the oven. It will be understood, of course, that the oven doors of most ranges in service today open in this manner.

However, hinges 7 and 8 differ from conventional door hinges in that hinge 7 includes means for supporting door 3 for pivotal movement about a vertical axis as well as a horizontal axis, and hinge 8 includes holding means for releasably supporting the door so that the door may be disengaged therefrom and pivoted about a vertical axis, as shown in broken lines in FIG. 1. Thus vertically positioned hinge pin 15 cooperates with mating hinge portions 16 on hinge member 10 and hinge portions 17 integral with hinge bracket 17a, which is fixedly secured to door 3, so that these parts are connected in pivotal relation and pin 15 provides a vertical hinge axis for door 3.

With regard to hinge 8, movable hinge member 13 (which is channel shaped so as to receive prong 13a on door 3) is provided with a U-shaped holding member 18 and a transverse holding member 19 arranged to engage a connecting member 20 carried by the door. Connecting member 20 extends through vertically aligned brackets 20a and 20b which are secured to inner door liner 3b. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, connecting member 20 includes rod shaped connecting elements 21 and 22 which may be vertically shifted between a lower engaged position (FIG. 7) and an upper disengaged position (FIG. 8). When the parts are in the engaged position, in which holding loop 18 extends through an aperture 13b in prong 13a, connecting element 21 passes through loop 18 and holds prong 13a and hinge member 13 together, while connecting element 22 lies between the side walls of a hinge member 13 and engages holding element 19. When the parts are in the position described, door 3 functions as a conventional horizontally hinged door.

In accordance with my invention I utilize an arrangement of parts now to be described to provide firm support for door 3 when it is to be pivoted about its vertical axis around hinge pin 15. Mounted on door 3 for limited horizontal movement between the position shown in FIG. 2 and the position shown in FIG. 5 is a rod 23 which extends through an opening in bracket 24 and a slot in bracket 26, both of which are secured to door 3. End portion 27 of rod 23 extends through an opening in leg 28 of U-shaped bracket 29, and through this opening and also an opening in leg 30 of bracket 29 when in the position shown in broken lines in FIG. 6. Both of the last mentioned openings are somewhat larger than rod 23 so as to permit transverse movement of the opposite end 31 of the rod within slot 25 (see FIG. 8). The purpose and function of this arrangement of parts will be described below.

A U-shaped pivot element 32 is fixedly secured to range body 1 adjacent the side edge of door 3 which is mounted on hinge 7, being positioned so as to extend through a cut-out portion 33 in the edge of door liner 3b. Pivot element 32 is arranged to form an opening in alignment with the end portion 27 of rod 23, the opening being substantially larger than the cross-sectional area thereof. Thus when rod 23 is moved to the position shown in broken lines in FIG. 6, end portion 27 of the rod cooperates with bracket 29 and pivot element 32 to form a pivotal connection between the upper portion of the adjacent side edge of door 3 and the range body. Since the axis of this pivotal connection is in generally vertical alignment with the axis of hinge pin 15, door 3 may be supported at two vertically spaced hinge points for pivotal movement about a side edge of the door. On the other hand, when rod 23 occupies the position shown in full lines in FIG. 6, end 'portion 27 thereof is out of engagement with pivot element 32 and door 3 may be pivoted to its open position about its horizontal hinge axis.

The uppermost end of connecting member 20 is in the form of a loop 34 through which extends end portion 31 of rod 23. Thus while rod 23 is free to slide horizontally with respect to connecting member 20, upward movement of end portion 31 of the rod from the position shown in FIG. 7 to the position shown in FIG. 8 causes sufiicient movement of connecting member 20 to disengage connecting elements 21 and 22 from holding members 18 and 19 respectively. In this manner door 3 may be disengaged from hinge member 13, and similarly, downward movement of end portion 31 of the rod shifts connecting member 20 into engagement with hinge member 13 when door 3 is in its closed position. In order to permit rod 23 to be easily shifted both horizontally and vertically, a handle 35 is rigidly secured adjacent end portion 31 of the rod. A shank portion 36 of the handle extends through a rectangular opening 37 in front panel 3a of door 3 (see FIGS. 5 and 7) so that connecting member 20 may be shifted between the position shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and also rod 23 may be shifted between the positions shown in full and broken lines in FIG. 6'.

It is important that connecting member 20 be prevented from shifting from its lower position (FIG. 7) to its upper position (FIG. 8), and vice versa, when door 3 is in any open position. Otherwise, of course, the door might become disconnected from all supporting means except hinge 7 and the twisting force produced by the weight of the door under these circumstances might then either break or seriously damage this hinge member. Accordingly, I provide a latch member generally designated by the numeral 38 arranged to cooperate with connecting member 20 and prevent movement thereof except when the door is in its closed position. Latch 38 includes a leaf spring portion 39 secured at its upper end to door 3 by means of a bracket 40, and also a pair of projecting fingers 41 and 42 secured to intermediate and free end portions thereof respectively. Finger 41 projects through a suitable opening in inner liner 3b of door 3 and engages oven body 1 so as to locate finger 42 in the position shown in FIG. 7 whenever door 3 is closed. In this position, finger 42 is in vertical misalignment with an L-shaped bracket 43 fixedly secured to connecting member 20, and cannot interfere with vertical movement of the connecting member. However, when door 3 is in any open position, finger 42 is biased by spring 39 to the position shown in FIG. 8 and prevents downward movement of connecting member 20 if it is in its upper position as shown in FIG. 8 and also prevents upward movement of the connecting member if it is in its lower position as shown in FIG. 7.

It is also important that handle 35 be prevented from moving upwardly along a path parallel to the side edges of door 3 from the position shown in FIG. 7 to the position shown in FIG. 8 before the handle has been moved along a path perpendicular to the side edges of the door so as to engage end portion 27 with pivot element 32. Otherwise, of course, door 3 might be opened while supported only by hinge 7 and for the reasons mentioned above this must be avoided. Therefore, I provide a bracket 44 secured to door 3 and positioned so as to overlie end portion 31 of rod 23 when the latter is in the position shown in FIG. 2. Thus it will be seen that bracket 44 prevents movement of connecting member 20 from the position shown in FIG. 7 to the position shown in FIG. 8 unless rod 23 has first been shifted to the position shown in FIG. 5, in which its end portion 27 is in pivotal engagement with pivot element 32 and leg 30 of bracket 29. Bracket 44 also functions to prevent rod 23 from being shifted from the position shown in FIG. 5 to the position shown in FIG. 2 whenever handle 35 is in the raised position shown in FIG. 8. As shown in the latter figure, bracket 44 is in axial alignment with rod 23 when the rod is in the position shown therein and thus the bracket acts as a stop preventing lateral movement until handle 35 is moved to the position shown in FIG. 7. In this connection, it will be recalled that such movement of handle 35 cannot be effected until door 3 is in its closed position because of the interfering relationship of bracket 43 and finger 42 of latch 38.

From the description set forth above it should now be clear that when the parts of my invention are in the position shown in FIG. 2, door 3 functions as a conventional oven door and is movable to its open position about a hinge axis extending through hinge pins 11 and 14. When easy access to the interior of the oven is required, handle 35 is first shifted laterally (horizontally) along a path perpendicular to the side edges of the door so as to engage end portion 27 of rod 23 with pivotal element 32 and leg 30 of bracket 29. The handle is then shifted along a path parallel to the side edges of the door from the position shown in FIG. 7 to the position shown in FIG. 8 so as to disengage connecting elements 21 and 22 from holding members 18 and 19 of hinge member 13. The door may then be disengaged from hinge 8 and pivoted about hinge pin 15 and pivot element 32 to an open position in which it does not obstruct the front opening of the oven.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention, I do not desire the invention to be limited to the particular construction disclosed, and I intend by the appended claims to cover all modifications within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. A door structure for a range oven or the like comprising a body defining a front opening, a door adapted to close said opening, first and second hinges connecting the bottom edge of said door to said body adjacent the bottom edge of said opening for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis, said hinges being respectively positioned adjacent a first side edge and second side edge of said door, said first hinge including means for supporting said door for pivotal movement about a vertical axis as well as said horizontal axis, means for securing said door in releasable engagement with said second hinge, a rod mounted on said door for limited horizontal movement, said rod including an end portion adjacent said first side edge, a pivot element secured to said body adjacent said first side edge, said pivot element being arranged to form an opening in alignment with the axis of said end portion of said rod substantially larger than the cross-sectional area thereof, said rod being movable from a first position in which said end portion is out of engagement with said pivot element to a second position in which it extends through said opening, a bracket on said door having an aperture adapted to engage said end portion of said rod when the rod is moved to its second position so as to form with said pivot element and said rod a pivotal connection between the upper portion of said first side edge of said door and said body, manually operable means carried by said door for actuating said door securing means so as to disengage the door from said second hinge and also actuating said rod from its first position to its second position, and latch means carried by said door for rendering said manually operable means inoperative, said latch means including means cooper'able with said body for effecting movement thereof from an unlatched position when said door is closed to a latched position when the door is open.

2. A door structure as defined in claim 1 in which said manually operable means includes a handle movable in a first path parallel to the side edges of said door for actuating said door securing means and in a second path perpendicular thereto for moving said rod, and said latch means includes stop means arranged to prevent movement of said handle along said first path to disengage the door from said second hinge before said handle has been moved along said second path to actuate said rod into its second position.

3. A door structure as defined in claim 1 in which said means 'for securing said door in releasable engagement with said second hinge includes a movable elongated connecting member carried by said door, said second hinge includes a hinge member pivotally mounted on said body, said hinge member including a holding element defining an opening adapted to receive said connecting member, and said manually operable means includes a movable handle associated with said connecting element.

4. A door structure for a range oven or the like comprising a body defining a front opening, a door adapted to close said opening, first and second hinges connecting the bottom edge of said door to said body adjacent the bottom edge of said opening for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis, said hinges being respectively positioned adjacent a first side edge and a second side edge of said door, said first hinge including means for supporting said door for pivotal movement about a vertical axis as well as said horizontal axis, means for securing said door in releasable engagement with said second hinge including a movable elongated connecting member carried by said door, said second hinge including a hinge member pivotally mounted on said body, said hinge member including a holding element defining an opening adapted to receive said connecting member, a rod mounted on said door for limited horizontal movement, said rod including an end portion adjacent said first side edge, a pivot element secured to said body adjacent said first side edge, said pivot element being arranged to form an opening in alignment with the axis of said end portion of said rod substantially larger than the cross-sectional area thereof, said rod being movable from a first position in which said end portion is out of engagement with said pivot element to a second position in which it extends through said opening, a bracket on said door having an aperture adapted to engage said end portion of said rod when the rod is moved to its second position so as to form with said pivot element and said rod element a pivotal connection between the upper portion of said first side edge of said door and said body, manually operable means carried by said door for actuating said door securing means so as to disengage the door from said second hinge and for actuating said rod from its first position to its second position, said manually operable means including a handle movable in a first path parallel to the side edges of the door for actuating said door securing means and in a second path perpendicular thereto for moving said rod, and latch means carried by said door for rendering said manually operable means inoperative, said latch means including means cooperable with said body for effecting movement thereof from an unlatched position when said door is closed to a latched position when the door is open and also stop means arranged to prevent movement of said handle along said first path to disengage the door from said second hinge before said handle has been moved along said second path to actuate said rod into its second position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 872,694 Thiem Dec. 3, 1907 1,355,868 Trenkamp Oct. 19, 1920 2,885,723 Altmann May 12, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 969,259 Germany May 14, 1958 1,081,674 France June 9, 1954 

